We are BIG fans of Fr. Barron and his wonderful teaching ministry with Word On Fire with his books, blog, YouTube videos, DVDs, and his supportive team providing the best teaching and support for parishes and faithful around the globe. Fr. Barron’s website has gone through a complete makeover to make the content more accessible and searchable. Congratulations especially goes to Brandon Vogt who is the Content Director at Word On Fire Catholic Ministries.

The new website has so many exciting features, including the ability to browse and search all of Fr. Barron’s content–thousands of videos, articles, and homilies–by topic, Bible verse, or paragraph from the Catechism. The website is now also mobile-friendly, so through responsive design, it works well on any smartphone or tablet.

Following is the Official Press Release from Word On Fire about the detail in the remaking of the website:

CHICAGO August 19, 2014 – When Father Robert Barron founded Word on Fire
Catholic Ministries in 2000 and launched WordOnFire.org, the goal was simple: to
share his homilies online.“I liked the idea of sending my homilies to a wider audience, all over the world. The new media provided a means to make that possible in a way that evangelists throughout history would have given their right arms for. But I had no idea how quickly this ministry would grow.”
Over the next several years, Father Barron added YouTube commentaries, weekly
articles, and daily blog posts. Soon, WordOnFire.org became one of the most popular
Catholic websites in the world, drawing over 1.3 million unique visitors per year.“We knew our website was helping people. But we also knew the Internet was evolving. Mobile devices were on the rise and new trends in web design pushed us forward. We decided it was time to revamp our website and create something new and innovative.”
Working with AM Design, an award-winning development studio based in Texas, the
Word on Fire team spent a year researching and planning. Together they produced a
beautiful and elegant website loaded with custom features. For example, the
homepage features a full screen video background, which randomly rotates on each
visit, displaying clips from Father Barron’s CATHOLICISM series. The team also
improved the site’s navigation.“I’m particularly excited about the tagging,” explains Father Barron, “On the old website, it was hard to find what you needed. So we spent hundreds of hours reviewing all my past content, carefully tagging each resource. Now, you can look up a favorite topic, a verse in the Bible, a paragraph in the Catechism, or a week in the liturgical calendar and find all the content I’ve ever produced on it. This is a real game-changer for the Church. There’s nothing like it in the Catholic online world.”

These new features will prove extremely helpful to priests and seminarians as they
prepare their homilies, and they’ll equip ordinary Catholics to grow and spread their
faith.

“The new WordOnFire.org is mobile responsive,” Father Barron explains in the video. “Roughly 50% of visitors access our website on a phone or tablet. But on the old site, mobile users had a really hard time. They had to pinch and zoom and scroll, just to read the text. The new site dynamically resizes based on your device. That means it looks great on any computer, phone, or tablet.”
Father Barron is quick to note, however, that the upgraded website is not just about
improved technology. It serves a far more important function.“The Church exists to evangelize,” says Father Barron, “and that’s ultimately why our website exists. We revamped our website to serve as a better vehicle for drawing people to Christ, especially those on the religious peripheries, many of whom are online, giving them access to all the gifts that Jesus wants them to enjoy.”

Fr. Robert Barron

Fr. Robert Barron is an acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian, Father
Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, a global, non-profit
media group. He is also Rector of Mundelein Seminary/University of Saint Mary of
the Lake near Chicago.

Father Barron is perhaps best known for creating and hosting the CATHOLICISM film
series, an epic ten-part documentary on the life and teachings of the Catholic Church.
The series was broadcast nationally on PBS and has been seen by millions worldwide.

Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1986, Fr. Barron has also
published numerous books, essays, and DVD programs. He is a frequent commentator
on faith and culture for NBC, FOX News, The Chicago Tribune, Our Sunday
Visitor, The Catholic Herald in London, The Washington Post, CNN and The Catholic
New World. He lectures extensively in the United States and abroad, including the
Pontifical North American College at the Vatican and the Pontifical University of St.
Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Fr. Barron received a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from
the Catholic University of America and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the
Institut Catholique de Paris. Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, has
called Father Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.”

Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

(http://www.WordOnFire.org), Father Barron’s media evangelization ministry based
in Skokie, Illinois, reaches millions of people through its films, study programs, and
online work. With over 400,000 social media subscribers and an extensive collection
of over 3,000 free digital resources, Word on Fire is on the vanguard of Catholic new
media.

]]>http://catholicws.com/2014/08/word-on-fire-a-big-update-for-fr-barrons-website/feed/0Sweet Tweets for April 25, 2014 – The “Popefest”http://catholicws.com/2014/04/sweet-tweets-for-april-25-2014-the-popefest/
http://catholicws.com/2014/04/sweet-tweets-for-april-25-2014-the-popefest/#commentsThu, 24 Apr 2014 00:40:27 +0000http://catholicws.com/?p=1514This edition of Sweet Tweets this week is being posted here at Catholic Web Services, because my good friend Lisa Hendey is staying in a contemplative place with no WiFi, which is something we should all practice from time-to-time. The best Catholic finds on the web in Sweet Tweets are normally posted every Friday at Lisa Hendey’s Patheos Blog — A Good Measure, and I thank her for sharing these every week with her readers.

This is a BIG week in church history as we approach Divine Mercy Sunday and celebrate the canonizations of two great saints who have helped shape the Roman Catholic Church as we see it today: Pope John XXIII & Pope John Paul II. There have been so many good stories, videos, websites, and activities for this weekend’s events, that I am starting with a special section devoted to these two saints:

John Clem is the Director and Media Minister at Catholic Web Services (http://catholicws.com/). John is currently in formation to join the Secular Franciscan Order, and loves to share his talents in faith, technology, and journalism in service to the church. John also writes a blog entitled Call To Holiness (http://www.calltoholiness.us/). Follow John on Twitter at @Catholicwebs, on Facebook and at Google+.

Google has just made finding images that you can use without worrying about licensing and copywrite infringement much easier. Engaget reported recently:

In a move that will be popular with many bloggers and, perhaps, less popular with many photographers, Google has updated its Image Search options to make it that much easier to sort your results by license and find CC or public domain images that can be reused for free.

The ability has always been there, but until now it was buried with the advanced options where those not in the know might have difficulty finding them. Now, thanks to a mini-tirade by law professor and Creative Commons founding member Lawrence Lessig, the option is easily available in the ‘Search Tools’ toolbar at the top of the page.

This is great news for all you trying to find inspiring and informative images for your readers. BING has also added this feature to their image search engine. Good images make an important impact and help bring someone to reading your website or blog. Please read our previous blog about using photos that explains further the use of public images and creative commons license in link below. Remember to Put a Smile on Your Website

Image of Pope Francis found using Google Images with setting for “reuse” permission.

At the annual Catholic New Media Conference in Boston this past weekend, over two hundred people attended this conference from all over the world that emphasized faith and prayer as we began both days with Mass. A spirit of apostleship prevailed among all the attendees who graciously shared their wealth of knowledge and skills.

Archdiocese of Boston’s Pastoral Center in Braintree, MA

Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center

Mass with celebrant Fr. Kyle Sanders (Diocese of New Orleans)

The conference was held at the Archdiocese of Boston’s Pastoral Center, which houses many diocesan offices including where guru Domenico Bettinelli manages the radio station, websites, and social media for the diocese. George Martel who shares the office with Dom is a master photographer who also brings his talents to serve the diocese, and both shared their wealth of knowledge with us at this conference. Boston is truly the leader in America in showing the way to better use new and traditional media in communicating the message of our Catholic Faith.

Domenico Bettinelli at his workstation — I think Dom needs another computer ;)

Monsignor Paul Tighe

The keynote address was given by Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, a key figure in the Vatican’s social media efforts. He spoke about the experiences in using the internet at The Vatican including the papal Twitter account @Pontifex, the News.va news portal, and the Pope App. Monsignor Tighe reported that Pope Francis will be encouraging the use of Vine video sharing during the Christmas season.

Monsignor Tighe also shared the news that .catholic domain has been approved, and the 3-year $80,000 effort to secure the domain should bear fruit soon for the church. He said they are planning a 5-10 year roll-out of using this new domain amongst diocese, and helping to authenticate Catholic websites. It is wonderful that the Vatican understands the power of the internet and using it for the good of the church. I encourage you to watch his entire talk in the following video, if you missed the live stream earlier. He also had a great talk on the Good Catholic Life radio show with Scott Landry, Fr. Roderick, Fr. Chip Hines, and Dom Bettinelli (Audio Link to radio show podcast).

Monsignor Paul Tighe and Fr. Roderick Vonhogen guest on Boston’s The Good Catholic Life radio show

Cost Effective Video for Parishes & LIVE Streaming

One area I have been seeing a lot of interest in, is producing live streams for parish needs. In Boston, Dom Bettinelli has been able to help bring parish events such as Baptisms, First Communions, and weddings to military and other families members who can’t attend in person, but offering the next best thing through LIVE streaming video. The cost of equipment has come down considerably in recent years to make it affordable for a diocese or parish. Dom presented three affordable equipment options for parishes to provide live streaming:

Dom particularly likes the Blackmagic Television Studio, because it offers the power to support 4 video cameras and software to run a full television-quality studio for $1,000 – a real bargain that is within reach of many Catholic parishes and organizations. This probably would have cost a parish nearly $50K just ten years ago, and clearly amazing that the prices have come down so much.

Benediction & Commitment

We ended our day at the CNMC with Benediction and prayer to use our knowledge and talents to do good works for the church. Fr. Roderick & Fr. Jay Finelli (iPadre podcast) invited all the members to come forward in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament making a pledge to dedicate one’s self, to work for the good of the church.

Fr. Roderick Vonhogen and Fr. Jay Finelli leading us in Benediction

Boston’s Little Italy and Harbor

On Sunday, we started our VIP day with 9am Mass at the Sacred Heart Italian Church in the Little Italy section of North Boston. It is a beautiful church serving the Italian community, but the fact that our service was in the lower day chapel, and not the larger upper church was surprising: a testament to the evangelizing work needed ahead, and a sad statement about how many people have left the faith in this Italian neighborhood.

Mass at Sacred Heart Italian Church (North Boston)

The VIP day on Sunday brought us glorious Fall weather to our Boston tour and gave us some time to learn more about video, audio, and photography production. On Sunday we had a smaller group of about 50 people for the VIP ticket, and after Mass we wandered down to the waterfront to take a very entertaining Duck Tour of Boston. The Duck is a WWII amphibious craft that can travel on land and sea, and gave us a fun tour of Boston – a town charged with the Boston Red Sox hosting a World Series.

After the Duck Tour, we had a wonderful family-style lunch at an Italian Restaurant named Artuu (of course Fr. Roderick was giddy with the name referencing R2D2) that was sponsored by Our Daily Visitor. After lunch, our group broke down into two groups, one for video with Fr. Roderick, and the other for photography with George Martel, and we switched groups later in the day. We walked around North Boston and the harbor area to demonstrate best practices and techniques in shooting video and photos. George Martel is a wonderful professional photographer who shared his talents and in a talk on Saturday (pdf link to his photo presentation). Fr. Roderick also gave an entertaining talk about his use of video, and gave a bunch a great tips to make them look better.

Fr. Roderick Vonhogen sharing his video talents

CWS Launching Greater Good Technology & ParishFaces.com

In following Pope Francis call to help serve the poor, Catholic Web Services is looking to bring technology to assist the poor and disadvantaged. Catholic Web Services announced our two upcoming projects at the CNMC to help serve the church in new ways. Greater Good Technology is a pilot project we have launched in Charlottesville, Virginia to help bring an online identity to the homeless. We have partnered with a homeless man who is starting his journey away from being homeless, and wanted to help others. We developed an on-line course to teach the use of computers, and in giving a Google Chromebook to him, he is now able to train other homeless people in the skills of Google Apps and helping to obtain a job. This peer-to-peer training is very successful and offers a $40 stipened to the trainer for each individual trained, and with g-mail, cell phone (offered free to food stamp recipients) w/Google Voice, and Google Docs to write a resume. It gives an online identity that is crucial in finding a job. We will be soliciting donations soon through a indiegogo video campaign, and hope that we can grow this worthy program to serve more communities. Please help us with your prayers and donations.

ParishFaces.com is a new dynamic on-line parish directory and communication system. ParishFaces offers a way for parishes to grow their ministries with an e-mail system that offers communication and a forum for each ministry or group. ParishFaces is also offered with our Guardian Angel Service which provides a full WordPress website for a parish or additional website for ministry or group. We are currently in beta testing and will keep you updated when we are ready to launch ParishFaces.

Lightsaber Duel with Fr. Roderick

One of the highlights of my weekend was being able to spend some time talking with Fr. Roderick. Thrilled too that he also took time to sign copies of his new book Geekpriest: Confessions of a New Media Pioneer, and had lightsaber duels with many of his fans at the CNMC. Fr. Roderick and many at this conference are an inspiration to me, and I hope you keep us all in your prayers to help us bring Christ to more people through Catholic New Media.

Lightsaber duel with me and Fr. Roderick Vonhogen

Thanks to all the crew at SQPN and Jeff Young (Catholic Foodie) & his wife Char, for helping in organizing this year’s Catholic New Media Conference.

Greater Good Technology is a new ministry developed by Catholic Web Services to help give disadvantaged people access & training in technology. We have developed a successful pilot program here in our hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. Greater Good Technology’s program aims to help homeless people, by giving them a fair seat at the table to search for a job.

Empowering those transitioning from homelessness

Today’s society requires modern communications to be on a level field for employment. We train a Lead Training Mentor that targets 12 other men and women transitioning from homelessness to train. The lead trainer receives a Google Chromebook with which to train his trainees and receives payment for each trainee they graduate that is verified by our online training system at Catholic Web Services. Each trainee receives a Google gmail account, Google Voice number for email, begins to create a resume, and receives training on how to make calls online.

Successful Pilot

Catholic Web Services is successfully working with a man transitioning from being homeless, our first Lead Training Mentor, in the Charlottesville pilot program. Our Director of Technology, Carl Stacy became friends with this man through a local mentoring program. He wanted a way to give back to the community, the same community that had provided him assistance in his time of need, and was very enthusiastic about sharing his new technology skills with others to help them find employment.

We were thankful for an initial grant from the Lions Club, but need your help to grow this deserving ministry. Please contact us if you are interested in bringing Greater Good Technology to your community.

One of the reason’s this program works well is because it adds to a great support system of people and agencies who provide a network of services helping the homeless gain independence, housing, and employment. Charlottesville’s system of supports has grown over the years and is getting better through the cooperation of our great provider groups: PACEM, The Haven, Lion’s Club, The Salvation Army, and county and city social services.

PACEM is a grassroots organization that coordinates space and volunteers to provide shelter for individuals in our community who are homeless. Charlottesville currently has no permanent shelter for the homeless, so the religious community united to help in the cause of sheltering the homeless during the cold months of the season.

More than sixty congregations in the Charlottesville area take turns opening their doors – setting up cots, serving warm evening meals, and providing companionship. Through PACEM, congregations of many faiths and community groups come together to address the need for shelter in our community. The name, PACEM, is an acronym for (People And Congregations Engaged in Ministry). Pacem is also a Latin word meaning peace.

Director Tom Shadyac visiting his friends at The Haven

The Haven is a safe and welcoming place for the homeless and very poor of Central Virginia to be during the day. Opened for business on January 18, 2010, The Haven provides this community with a central place to receive vital services and get connected to social service providers. The Haven came into being through the generosity of UVA alumni & Movie Director Tom Shadyack. Tom came back to Charlottesville in 2006 to film the movie Evan Almighty, a hit comedy retelling of the Noah’s Ark story, and he gave proceeds of the film to buy an old city church to make it a “haven” for the poor and homeless.

The Haven provides meals, short-term storage, showers, laundry facilities, computer access, living room, community garden and referrals to on-site service providers offering substance abuse assessment, mental health peer support, financial literacy and counseling, legal assistance, public housing applications, resume development and job search coaching, health advocacy and navigation, social services such as food stamp screening. It has been a wonderful asset to bring all the services under one roof, and Greater Good Technology is working to help with technology training to give these men and women an opportunity at a better life.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The Salvation Army in Charlottesville provides temporary housing and food to those in need and primarily serves homeless women and children in our community, and currently has difficulty keeping up with the demand for services.

Help Us GROW! — YOUR SUPPORT NEEDED

We would like to continue this program and grow it to other communities, but we need your support. Your help with financial support, and through prayers are very much appreciated. We are seeing a great need to help the homeless and your support in any way helps us to keep our ministry going. We are looking for people who could donate monthly, but any size donations which are very much appreciated with secure PayPal links below. You can contact Catholic Web Services Director, John Clem, if you have any questions:

We give thanks to our Catholic Web Services ministry, celebrating its first anniversary since its founding on the Feast of St. James in 2012. We are thankful for all the support from our many members in both prayers and financial assistance. We give thanks to the many people working in Catholic New Media, who together through social media and the Holy Spirit, are sharing the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We continue to pray for the intecession of our two patron saints, St. Francis of Assisi & St. James (the greater), in helping us show “The Way” in rebuilding our church.

St. James (The Greater)

Saint Francis of Assisi

We offer this prayer of thanksgiving for a fruitful year working in the vinyard of the Lord (prayer from Father Knows Best), and pray for many years of continued strong ministry:

]]>http://catholicws.com/2013/08/1st-anniversay-of-catholic-web-services/feed/0Lumen Fumble — the issue of copywrite and the Churchhttp://catholicws.com/2013/07/lumen-fumble-the-issue-of-copywrite-and-the-church/
http://catholicws.com/2013/07/lumen-fumble-the-issue-of-copywrite-and-the-church/#commentsMon, 08 Jul 2013 20:00:36 +0000http://catholicws.com/?p=1151On Friday this past week, I was pleased to read the first encyclical from Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei, that was started by Pope Benedict XVI, emeritus. My friend and fellow blogger, Brandon Vogt, had taken the text (verbatim) from the encyclical and converted it into many formats (pdf, Nook, Kindle, and iPad) to be easily shared on various devices on his blog. Brandon provided this service for free and with the noble intent of spreading the good news from the Holy Father in the spirit of the New Evangelization. I was surprised to read the following message on Brandon’s blog the following day:

“In the last couple hours, I’ve received a litany of emails from both the USCCB and the Vatican accusing me of “[violating] both civil and moral law” and “stealing from the pope” (actual words used) by making the encyclical available in other formats. They’ve ordered me to remove the documents with full knowledge that this would prevent hundreds of people from reading it who otherwise wouldn’t read the encyclical online or in print. In my view, this is tragic and unjust. It’s valuing profit over catechises, and I have to believe Pope Francis (and Pope Benedict) would be extremely perturbed. Their goal and the goal of the Church is to evangelize—to spread the message of Jesus Christ, especially through papal encyclicals—not to make a dime off each copy printed. I’m heading out the door for a three-day spiritual without access to the Internet, so I’ll save my fuller reaction for another time. But per their request, I’ve removed the documents. Feel free to read the encyclical online or pre-order the Ignatius hardcover version.”

The Church should make the Bible, Catechism, and church documents available to as many people as possible. Vatican II stressed the need for the “Call To Holiness” is for everyone, and the church should embrace the lay faithful and support their efforts in evangelization. The following two quotes from Vatican II help promote the need for good access to Sacred Scripture and the spiritual goods of the Church.

22. “Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful.”

Vatican II: Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation — Dei Verbum.

37. “The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments“.

Vatican II: Dogmatic Constitution on The Church — Lumen Gentium.

At the beginning of the Year of Faith, a group formed to provide the Catechism in an Open-Source programming format for all to use on websites. The “Read the Catechism in a Year” during the Year of Faith was launched. It was also shut down by the USCCB due to copywrite, and they now are providing the YouCat as a daily e-mail instead of the Catechism. The New American Bible is also closely guarded in copywrite by the USCCB, and currently is not allowed to be freely distributed electronically. It may be time for the Catholic Church to look again at its policies at a national and international level, and discern what is best in this Internet age to help for growth and strength in our Catholic Faith. I believe what Brandon Vogt was providing is just what is called for in Vatican II and the New Evagelization, and the Church should be supportive in his efforts.

An Opportunity for The Catholic Chruch — Approving Authenticity & Helping with the Digital Divide

Back in 2012, I wrote an e-mail to Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Christopher Coyne with a proposal to help with making the Bible and Catechism more accessible with the news that the Vatican would be offering their own domains soon.

Dear Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan,

I have been a long-time admirer of your leadership in the USCCB, and a fan of your show on XM Satellite Radio.

I am writing to you with an idea that should help with our Catholic Faith and identity, as well as benefiting the USCCB:

2) The Catholic Church in 2013 is going to get some of its own domains on the internet (i.e.: .catholic & .ihs) through ICANN, which will help authenticate real Catholic websites.

3) I would like to propose that the USCCB offer a system for Catholic charities and organizations to be able to apply for authenticity and pay an annual fee to keep the certification and domain. I would also like to propose this as a way to bring in income to the USCCB, and allow you to make the NAB and Catechism FREE. I think this has the potential to bring in the income to keep the USCCB funded, and fulfill the wishes of Vatican II to make the Bible and Catechism as accessible as possible.

We have started a new ministry to help Catholic webmasters build better websites, and staying true to Catholic teachings and doctrine. We applied to the Diocese of Richmond to be recognized as a Catholic Charity by Bishop DiLorenzo, but were denied largely because there is no system in place. I would like to urge you and the other bishops to help guide Catholic charities and ministries in establishing an authenticity certification through USCCB.

God Bless,

John Clem

Director & Media Minister

Catholic Web Services

I did get a message back from Bishop Coyne that he would be discussing this idea with his fellow bishops at the USCCB Communication Committee, but have never received a response from Cardinal Dolan. I would hope that the church considers the need also for the poor who are being left behind in the ever growing “Digital Divide” of those who have access and training in computers. I would propose that the sales income of Catholic Domains could help oversight support for authenticity of Catholic websites and their information, and could help provide technology and training for the poor.

I would be interested in anyone’s feedback on this matter, and feel there is a great opportunity at hand to help everyone for the good of the Church.

The Communications Department of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) have launched www.faithandsafety.org, a wonderful resource website for you and your family regarding digital safety. It is a well-designed website offering a comprehensive array of resources to help with internet, gaming, and electronic device safety. Highlights of the website include:

]]>http://catholicws.com/2013/06/digital-safety-guide-technology-safety-through-the-eyes-of-faith/feed/0Pope Francis launches Missio Apphttp://catholicws.com/2013/05/pope-francis-launches-missio-app/
http://catholicws.com/2013/05/pope-francis-launches-missio-app/#commentsFri, 17 May 2013 15:43:12 +0000http://catholicws.com/?p=1093Pope Francis has again made history being the first Pope to launch a worldwide App which is intended for use of news, catechesis and evangelization. The app was available for download before the official launch, but remained locked. When the pope activated the app by pushing a button marked “evangelizantur,” Latin for “they have been evangelized,” users were notified. This app was developed with the collaboration of the Pontifical Mission Societies and Little iApps. The free app is available for both Apple and Android devices.

Catholic News Service reports, the Missio app offers news and information in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic from Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency, and news.va. The news appears in the default language set on the mobile device. The app also includes homilies from Pope Francis, news from missions all over the globe, and videos from news.va & Catholic New Service.

“The app is a way for the church and our Holy Father to reach the growing number of the world’s people who have access to handheld mobile devices, a way to connect as the body of Christ,” said Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, who brought his iPad up to the pope for the launch. Father Small said social media helps the church call more people to be followers of Christ, “and if used properly the new media allow for a more intimate relationship between peoples and nations, fostering peace and mutual understanding.”